The North Dakota State Bison (24-8, 15-3 Summit) clash against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (15-17, 9-9 Summit) in the Summit League Conference Tourney at Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. The game can be seen on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.
North Dakota Fighting Hawks vs. North Dakota State Bison Betting Prediction
In the Fighting Hawks’ last matchup, they beat the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons, 73-56. North Dakota’s 0.409 free throw rate was their largest strength over Purdue Fort Wayne, who had a rate of 0.154. The Fighting Hawks’ mark was above their season average of 0.266, while the Mastodons’ was below the 0.209 mark opponents have averaged against North Dakota this season. North Dakota rallied around Kienan Walter, who was the top scorer from either team with 20 points on 5-for-10 shooting.
The Bison defeated the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles in their last game, 75-69. The Bison knocked down 24 of their 29 free throws (82.8 percent) and had a turnover percentage of 7.7 (better than their season average of 13.7). Tyson Ward was North Dakota State’s high scorer with 21 points on 5-for-14 shooting from the field.
The high-powered offense of North Dakota State will battle against the porous defense of North Dakota. The Bison rank 35th in offensive efficiency, while the Fighting Hawks are 290th in defensive efficiency. The Bison figure to have the edge on that end of the court. Also, the Fighting Hawks rank 50th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.270), while the Bison rank 45th in opponents’ FTA rate (0.184).
North Dakota vs. North Dakota State Betting Pick
Pick: ATS Winner – North Dakota State, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
North Dakota State ranks 10th in steals allowed per game (4.7) while North Dakota ranks 156th (6.7).
The Bison rank seventh in assists allowed per game (9.5) while the Fighting Hawks rank 106th (12.2).
North Dakota State ranks 38th in three pointers attempted per game (25.8) while North Dakota ranks 108th (23.2).
The Bison rank 44th in rebounds allowed per game (32.1) while the Fighting Hawks rank 66th (33.0).
The Fighting Hawks’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 2.4, up from 1.2 for the season.
During their last five games, the Bison have scored an average of 74.4 points per game (0.1 above their season average) and allowed an average of 69.0 points per game (2.4 above their season average).